And my favorite… 60% of health-care workers do not clean their hands properly.

FYI: MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) is a type (strain) of staph bacteria that does not respond to some antibiotics that are commonly used to treat staph infections. The resistance occurred due to over utilization of anti-biotics and bacterial adaptation. Popular Science failed to mention where the statistics originated so I can’t provide their source.

The Take Home Message: We need to be PRO-active about our health. Exercise. Eat whole foods (minimally processed). Hydrate with water. And GET ADJUSTED! The health of your nervous system (spine) is directly linked to the way you function, heal, and adapt. And please don’t forget to wash your hands…

Below are details taken directly from Consumer Reports, but the basics are this:

80% of the population suffers from Back pain (so yes there is a lucky 20% who don’t), and out of those who suffer, 88% claim it is re-occurring

Chiropractic is rated the best choice in care options by consumers with back pain

Massage and Exercise Rehab is also rated very effective

Medications and Drugs were only 22% effective!

Dr. LeGault offers two of the top choices for the most effective care in Sewickley and the surrounding area:

Chiropractic

Exercise rehabilitation and counseling

Call today and end the suffering. Discover YOUR 100%.

412-259-3828

“About 80 percent of the adults in the U.S. have been bothered by back pain at some point. The Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center recently surveyed more than 14,000 subscribers who experienced lower-back pain in the past year but never had back surgery. More than half said the pain severely limited their daily routine for a week or longer, and 88 percent said it recurred throughout the year.

Lower-back pain disrupts many aspects of life. In our survey, 46 percent said that it interfered with their sleep, 31 percent reported that it thwarted their efforts to maintain a healthy weight, and 24 percent said that it hampered their sex life.

Where to go for treatment?

A surprising number of the lower-back-pain sufferers we surveyed said they were disappointed with what their primary-care doctor could do to help. Although many of our respondents who saw a primary-care doctor left dissatisfied, primary-care doctors can write prescriptions and give referrals for hands-on treatments that might be covered by health insurance. When back pain goes on and on, many people go to see a primary-care doctor. While this visit may help rule out any serious underlying disease, a prescription based solution affects long-term quality of life.

Who helped the most?

The percentage of people highly (completely or very) satisfied with their back-pain treatments and advice varied by practitioner visited.

Professional —————– Highly satisfied

Chiropractor 59%

Physical therapist 55%

Acupuncturist 53%

Physician, specialist 44%

Physician, primary-care doctor 34%

Source: Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center

Patients with lower-back pain are faced with a confusing list of options. Our survey respondents tried an average of five or six different treatments over the course of just a year. We asked them to rate a comprehensive list of remedies (available to subscribers) and had enough data to rate 23 treatments. We analyzed the medical evidence for each and came up with recommendations and cautions. Here are some highlights from our survey findings:

Spinal injections (available to subscribers) were rated just below chiropractic treatments by those who took our survey. Fifty-one percent of the respondents found them to be very helpful, although the techniques their doctors used varied. Prescription medications (available to subscribers), which one-third of our respondents said they took, were rated as beneficial by 45 percent of them. Almost 70 percent said they took an over-the-counter medication, but only 22 percent said the drugs were very helpful. Fifty-eight percent told us they wished they had done more exercising to strengthen their backs.Although lower-back pain is the fifth most common reason people go to a doctor, 35 percent of the people in our survey said they had never consulted a professional. Most of them had severely limiting pain for less than a week. Many of those with more prolonged pain who didn’t see a health-care professional said,”… it was because of cost concerns or because they did not think professional care could help. “

Doctors of Chiropractic are often concerned with a patient’s leg length inequality (LLI) or discrepancy. LLI is a direct portrayal of neuromuscular dysfunction exhibited by the body. The inequality is usually due to a functional imbalance in the body’s kinetic chain causing neurological insult. Due to the nature of LLI, it takes time to correct because the muscles and ligaments may be chronically sprained/strained. Pay close attention to the picture shown below, as it depicts how spinal/extraspinal dysfunctions can cause LLI.

Various causes may exist and are not limited to the following:

(1). Subluxation/dysfunction of the hip-joint: causing compensatory alterations by the joint and muscles that impact on the joint.

(2). Sacroiliac joint subluxation/dysfunctions

(3). The iliosacral joint subluxation/dysfunction

(4). Shortened hamstring muscles.

(5). Occipito-Atlantal joint subluxation/dysfunction

(6). Sacral dysfunction (nutation or counter nutation)

(7). Plus many more…

A recent study evaluated 3,000 adults aged 50 to 79 who either had knee pain or risk factors for knee osteoarthritis as a part of the Multi Centre Osteoarthritis Study (MOST). Subjects were reassessed after a 30-month period and it was found that arthritic changes in the knee were most significant in individuals with leg length inequality. The shorter leg being more affected. The researchers claim that arthritis in the knee is linked to the common trait of having one leg that is longer than the other. The CDC estimates that 27 million adults had osteoarthritis in 2005 and An estimated 294,000 children under age 18 have some form of arthritis or rheumatic condition; this represents approximately 1 in every 250 children in the U.S. http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/arthritis_related_stats.htm

Preventive measures should be taken before the onset of chronic and painful arthritis. Preventative measures include specific chiropractic adjustments to re-align involved areas, soft tissue therapies to equalize muscle balance, and dietary/exercise programs. From receiving chiropractic adjustments, a joint regains optimal neurological function. Orthotics should only be sought after maximal chiropractic improvement has been ascertained or over the course of chiropractic care in order to make minor alterations.

By gently correcting somatic dysfunction in a child’s spine, both spinal cord tension and nerve irritation alleviates, and changes are observable in all aspects of life. The case study listed below demonstrates a common and interesting connection between body and brain (mind), specifically by influencing a somato-psychic response. Because the somato-psychic connection is innate, adults may potentially benefit as well .

Clinical Features: A female adolescent with recurring headaches and parasomnia (night terrors) presented for chiropractic care. The headaches and sleep disturbances had a negative affect on her academics, sports, and social life. Upon examination, she had abnormal postural findings indicating cervical, thoracic, and lumbar subluxations.

Intervention and Outcome: The patient was evaluated for postural abnormalities and palpatory muscle hypertonicity, segmental edema, and kinesiopathology during each visit. Postural abnormalities and associated vertebral subluxations were corrected using specific hands on adjusting techniques for a one month period. There was a reduction in headache symptoms and complete resolution of parasomnia (night terrors) following the start of treatment.

Conclusion: Sleep disturbances in children are common and often develop without explanation. To date, there are few interventions that help alleviate the negative affects of interrupted sleep on a child’s daily activities. Vertebral subluxation should be considered when a child is experiencing neuromusculoskeletal symptoms and sleep disturbances of otherwise unknown origin. More research is warranted to explore the benefits of chiropractic care in cases of parasomnia and sleep disturbances.

Cervicocranial symptoms include vertigo (dizziness), cephalea (headache), tinnitus (ringing ears), facial pain, otalgia (earache), dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), pain of the carotid artery (neck area). A lot of people experience a dull, constant throbbing at the base of the skull. This condition may be worsened by movement of the head and neck. It is caused by subluxated (dysfunctional) vertebrae in the neck and/or misaligned cranial bones.

HOW CAN CHIROPRACTIC HELP?

Treatment consists of specific chiropractic adjustments to the area at the base of the skull, the neck, and/or upper back. The treatment may also require additional supportive therapy to improve a patients health, but it is case dependent. Additional supportive therapies include but are not limited to trigger point therapy, doctor-assisted stretching techniques, and postural training.

“I have never been in an accident or hurt so…WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?”

Trauma to the area can be both acute (as a result of car accidents, falls, and/or blows to the head) and chronic (sedentary work i.e. elmentary to post-graduate students, years of football practice, nursing or long-wearing such as holding baby in arms, etc.).

Often, patients enter a chiropractic office in extreme pain and as their last resort. As many Doctors of Chiropractic know, these pain-filled and inflamed patients have waited far too long to seek chiropractic care and as a result, they have introduced many toxins into their bodies for relief. Its okay though, pain interferes with our decision-making. Regarding toxins for symptomatic relief, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs will be the base of this discussion. What if I told you that you could experience the effects of NSAIDs without the dreaded “D” for Drugs; would you use them more often???….consequently we will soon change the abbreviation to NSAIA (“N-say”).

Without delving into the pharmocodynamics (what the drug does to the body) of NSAID’s, lets state the overall goal: Reduce Inflammation. Because the main goal when using a NSAID is for symptomatic relief; the suggested use, according to the Physician’s Desk Reference 2011 is for the following conditions:

Pain

Swelling

Inflammation from the following conditions:

Psoriatic Arthritis

Osteoarthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Reiter’s Syndrome

Acute Gout

Menstrual Cramps

Metastatic bone pain

Headaches

Migraine

Post-operative pain

Mild-to-moderate pain due to inflammation and tissue injury

Pyrexia

Ileus

Renal Colic

The unwanted effects of NSAIDs are dose-dependent, and in many cases can be severe enough to pose the risk of ulcer perforation, gastrointestinal bleeding, and death (1). Rest assured, there is a greater alternative to that seemingly difficult twist-off top. A recent study shows that chiropractic adjustments provide the same benefit by allowing your body to heal as it was designed. SEE BELOW FOR RESULTS…

Sixty-four asymptomatic subjects were assigned to a Test Group (receiving adjustments) or a Control Group (receiving sham manipulation or venipuncture). Inflammatory response was measured by blood and serum samples that were obtained from subjects before and then at 20 minutes and 2 hours after an intervention. Over the study period, a significant amount of sham and control patients demonstrated progressive increases in the synthesis of tumor necrosis. Conversely, the patients receiving the adjustments demonstrated that INFLAMMATION decreased gradually. Within 2 hours, the control groups, without an adjustment, experienced a significant increase in inflammation. In contrast, a significant reduction of proinflammatory cytokine secretion was observed in cultures from subjects receiving spinal adjustments.

What are you waiting for? Go get under chiropractic care and get some NSAIA (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Adjustment)….100% Natural. You are not only getting symptomatic relief, but as a whole, your body will be functioning at a higher level than without being adjusted.

The info below is from 1998 and NSAID distribution and use has only increased when compared to today, which is most likely due to pharmaceutical marketing campaigns and population growth.

(1) Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone. The figures for all NSAID users would be overwhelming, yet the scope of this problem is generally under-appreciated.